Tagged : France

Cheap Wine Superbowl

I went to a Superbowl party at the place of some friends. Superbowl is more of a beer event, but drinking that much beer makes me bloated. I opt instead for cheap wine in the true spirit of the game. Cheap wine is a suitable replacement for Bud Light is it not?

First up was the Antano Rioja Crianza 2007 — a predominantly Tempranillo wine with some Grenache, Granciano, and Mazuelo mixed in their for good measure. It falls in the under $15 at the Canadian BC Liquor store which means it is probably dirt cheap everywhere else in the world. The wine was nice — soft on tannins and easy drinking. Young, but good and a good value for the money.

Second to bat was the Longue Dog 2008. I have to admit that I bought this wine entirely for the label. Haha, get it? Longue Dog, Languedoc? There’s even a picture of an elongated dog. I am probably missing something, but I thought it was comedic enough to bring to Superbowl. Did I like it? No. The label was misleading…or totally appropriate. There was no description other than “Red Wine” on the label, so I dug deep into the pits of Google to find this PDF write-up which declares this wine a Syrah-Grenache. While it was drinkable it lacked structure or anything interesting. A tad on the watery side. Like grape juice. You likely won’t find this one in my posession again. Fit for Superbowl — I guess so.

Eating Solo in Paris

This is my two night guide to eating alone in Paris. The city is amazing, but can be a little daunting as a solo non-French speaking diner. I did a bunch of Google homework and tried a handful of restaurants and found two that stood out as great places to dine alone in Paris.

 

Le Chartier entranceway

Le Chartier entranceway

Night 1
Le Chartier ($$)
Le Chartier is in the Monmartre district of Paris on a winding street full of shops and cafés and is easy enough to get to from the Grand Boulevards Metro station in the 9th District (9eme Arrondissement). Once inside the doors it feels like an old boarding school dining hall with rows and rows of tables all seating 6 or so people. The beauty of this place for the solo traveller is that you have to sit with other people — no choice. The night I was there I sat with a couple from Paris, a professor from Paris who looked straight out of some old French Movie, a hair product salesman from Barcelona, and a restauranteur from Corsica. None of us spoke that much of each other’s language, but somehow we had an excellent time trying to get to know about each other over dinner. The food was alright, and reasonably priced, but the highlight was meeting a bunch of interesting people both local and travellers. Continue reading “Eating Solo in Paris” »